The service brake device of an agricultural work vehicle is fundamentally subject to wear. The service brake device is ordinarily designed as a hydraulically actuated and oil-cooled disk brake, the lamellar friction liners of which are arranged inside the transmission or differential housing. In this way oil cooling is accomplished by means of the transmission fluid, which can itself be part of the hydraulic circulation system. The disadvantage of this service brake device integrated into the transmission or differential housing is the maintenance challenge in the event that the friction linings have to be replaced. It can be that this can only be done by removing the transmission or the differential.
To reduce downtime of agricultural work vehicles caused by repair and maintenance, it is necessary to relieve or replace maintenance-intensive components such as service brake devices with components that are at least low-maintenance. Relief would at least have the advantage of lengthening the maintenance interval of maintenance-intensive components.
Auxiliary brake devices can operate according to a variety of physical principles. In this regard one could mention a variable turbine geometry in an exhaust gas turbocharger, a hydrostatic retarder, an eddy-current brake, an exhaust brake, a hydraulic system brake or an electrical drive axle operated in generator mode. The additional availability of an auxiliary brake device can significantly lengthen the lifetime or the maintenance interval of the service brake device in the agricultural work vehicle, since the use of the service brake is reduced, with regard to both duration and frequency, particularly in the wear-promoting transport speed range.